


Waiting.

by MellMellMell



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Hurt, Love, M/M, Robert and Chas bonding, october week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 10:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8282917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MellMellMell/pseuds/MellMellMell
Summary: Robert and Chas bond whilst waiting to see if Aaron is okay.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little ditty to add the the hospital fics. Hope you like!

Fifty minutes. 

That's how long Robert had been sitting in the waiting area. 

That's how long it had been since he last saw Aaron. 

And it was torture. 

When they had first arrived, Aaron had been rushed away from him the moment he was brought out of the ambulance. He had tried to follow. He had kicked, and screamed, and cried to follow him. Until there was nothing left but to follow the nurse who was trying to help him and have his own injures seen too. 

The nurse had been quick but thorough. Knowing fine well all he wanted was to see Aaron. To know that he was going to okay. So she had taken him to the family waiting area, telling him that Aaron's next of kin had been informed, and that she would be here soon. She had left him on the promise that once he knew how Aaron was doing that he would let her check over him again. She had said there was nothing serious, a few cuts and scrapes, concussion and possibly a few cracked ribs, and that he would be as well waiting where Aaron's doctor could find him whilst they waited for an X-ray slot. 

So twenty minutes had past and he was all alone. He had looked at every leaflet on the table, every poster on the wall. He had gone to the toilet, (letting the nurse know first, so she could find him if anything happened), and on his way back he had gotten a coffee. Yet, here he was, sitting in the waiting area, with nothing more he could do. And it made him feel so useless. He was always busy, always planning and living and moving. And now there was nothing to do. 

He just really wished that someone would walk through the door. And if it couldn't be Aaron, then maybe Victoria or Diane would appear soon. 

An hour. That's how long it had been since he last saw Aaron. That's how long it had been before the door creaked open. 

Chas. 

A crying, broken Chas. 

Who in spite of everything smiled when she saw him. 

"I'm so glad you're okay,", she whispered as she ran towards him, throwing her arms around him and taking him by surprise. 

"Seriously?", he asked, the confusion evident in his voice, on his face and in his posture. 

"Yes. Granted I would rather have Aaron in my arms right now, but both of you could have been in surgery and that would have been so much worse. When Aaron..", she had to stop for a minute, take a breath. Robert could feel the worry rolling off of her like waves. He could feel it because he felt the same, "if Aaron wakes up, he'll need you, like he always has. And for him to have woken up to you.. gone. He wouldn't have been able to cope with that,". 

Robert just nodded. He knew what Chas was saying, because he want sure he would cope if Aaron didn't wake up. 

"He's gonna wake up, isn't he Chas?", he asked tentatively, hoping she might know more than him, "the doctor, the nurses they wouldn't tell me anything. Just that he is in theatre and he is alive, and stable, for now. That's what they said, 'for now', like I wasn't away of how bad things are, like I didn't see him..".

He had to stop, he couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't think about the way Aaron's skin had gone a swampy blue colour, or they way the cut on his head had bled, and bled. 

"They didn't tell me anything different,", whispered Chas, "just that they would find me when they knew anything. Did you get checked over?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just waiting on an X-ray to confirm some broke ribs,". 

"And your lung?"

"No damage, they think, well no more damage,"

"What if he doesn't wake up?", said Chas, the pent up grief and worry exploding out of her. The tears were flowing hard now, and she had her hands in her hair, almost as if she wanted to pull it out. 

Robert just watched her. Unsure of what to do. This wasn't his strong suit. The only people he ever comforted were Aaron and Vic. Occasionally Liv, but she was never crying, she tended to be more shouty. No Aaron was only one who had ever really cried like this in front of him, or at least, the only person he knew what to with when they did. 

Aaron. 

What would he do? How would he handle this? 

Safe in the knowledge he knew Aaron well enough to answer those questions, he tentatively out his arm around her shoulders. And when she didn't pull away, he pulled her into his chest for a proper hug. 

And there she cried. And cried. And cried. Until she had nothing left but a small smile, and a thank you. 

"Y'know Chas, he's stronger than this. He has to be. Because he got through everything else, there is no way it can end like this. He's gonna wake up, and be okay, and we're gonna get married and li-"

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"Married?", asked Chas, softly, "you said married?"

"I proposed,", he whispered softly, looking away from her, but she could see the small smile playing on his lips. 

"And what did he say?",

"Yes. I think. Technically he said," started Robert, before saying in his best Aaron voice, "oh of course you had to pick now", which made both him and Chas laugh slightly, "we were in the ambulance y'see, but he smiled so I think he would have said yes, if we hadn't crashed. I did have it all planned, a picnic in the barn we used to meet in, but that didn't work out. And he was lying there, all broken and small, and I had too, because I wanted to know, because I wanted him to know,". 

"He would have said yes, I know he would have. He thinks the world of you, and I'm starting to see why,". 

"Thank you,". 

They shared a smile. A soft smile. An accepting smile. The moment was quiet, even if the hospital was buzzing around them. The past, the history and the hurt, was gone, or faded at least. Because here were two people who were bonded over their love for Aaron. Different loves, but just as strong. They were bonded now, family. 

And now all they can do is wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Written really quickly, so any spelling to grammar mistakes, sorry.


End file.
